Spool or reel



Jan. 18, 1944. M YOUNG 339,311

SPOOL 0R REEL Filed June 30, 1941 2 Sheets- 51186.: 1

MAPHET J. YOUNG Jan. 18, 1944.

M. J. YOUNG SPOO L OR REEL Filed June so, 1941 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 awe/WM v MAPHET J. YOUNG Patented 18, 1944 i tion for a reel or spoo be economically fabricated or sroonon 1mm. [T lllaphet J. Young, Youngstown, Ohio Application June so, 1941, Serial No. 4oo,52a s cm (Cl. 242-96) This invention relates to an improved construcl and toan' improved method of constructing the reel or spool. 1

' The primary object of the inventionis the pro vision of an improved construction for a spool or reel which construction enables" substantial economies to be efiected in the production of the spools or reels, particularly in large quantities. The article ofthe invention is adapted for general uses as, for example, the containingoi tape,

wire, conductor cord, clothes lineand various other materials and, as will be pointed out hereinaiten'possesses'certain desirable advantages in widely varying fields or use.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of an improved spool or reel which may readily and economically be produced-from sheet metal or other suitable sheet material. To this end, the construction of the article is such that but two pre-formed elements are necessary for the complete assembly oi. the article, while each by materially reducing-the die and fabricating costs attendant the production or the article.

Yet another object of'the' invention is the pro vision ofan improved reel or spoolwhich may assembled in varying capacities. This is accom'plishedin accordance with the preferred embodiment of the in-- vention by so constructing the article that but a singlepair of identical pre-iormed parts are required to complete the article and by securing the parts in difierent relative positionswith respect to each other, the capacity oi the spool or reel may be varied.

A still further obliectoitheinvention is the provisionoi an improved arrangement-ior engaging the end of tape, wire, conductor cord, f clothes line or other linear material, .which ar- In the drawings Figures 1 and 2 are ance with the principles of the invention;

Figures3 and '4 areiront and insid'eviews, re-

sp'ectively, of-one of the two identical parts which make up the article of Figures 1 and 2;

v tively; of a modified form Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line V V it of Figure 2';

Figure 6 illustrates a representative useto which the article of Figures land 2 maybe put Figures 7 and 8 are side and end views, respecmake up the reel or spool of the invention;

Figure 9* is a fragmentary view of a further 1 modified form or'part, the modification thereof pertaining to the shape and dispositionjof the means :employed to secure the end of the line or of the elements is. identical and capable of being pre-iormed by a simple pressing operation thereand II. I which extend laterally outward of one face wire;

- Figure 10 is a View similar to Figure dbut;

showingthe modified form of rreel; and,

Figure 11 is an enlarged sidevieW of the supporting handle of the reel of Figure 10.

The reel'or spool injits preferred and illustrated embodimentsis constructed oftwo identical sheet'inetai parts l0 and II, each of which is provided with a circularedge l2 rolled over at I! to provide a smooth'outer edge 'in a. manner well understood in the art. The drum of thefreelv is formed 01' a plurality of circumferentially spaced struts or bars it which span the spaced parallel disk-like portions l5fof the members [.0 Struts H are composed of projections of the'm'embers liland'll and which are integral with the portions l5 of the parts l0 reel and the carrying capacity required.

rangement may readily be incorporated in a 'spoolorreelffor containing such linear material" during the primary construction of the spool or Other oblects'and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the exposition of the Y same proceeds and tor the purpose of more fully disclosing my invention, a representative and preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings will be described. It should be understoodhoweventhat the inven-. tion is not limited to the particular structure or use shown in the drawings but is capable of various modifications.

preierably by welding. The extent of overlap V Projections l6 are provided by. cutting the I along the lines l1, l8 and I9 and bending the metal laterally of'the plane of I I the disk along the'lines '20, which lines are preferably concentric and equidistantfrom thegcen metal'of the disks l5 tel or the disk. To assemble'the reel or spool,

the projections 16 of the two identical parts in l and II are overlapped, as indicated in Figure 5, i

and secured together by any suitable expedient,

between the projections 16 determines the interval between the two side disks l5 of the reel or spool and, consequently, the carrying capacity of the reel 01' spool. If it is desired to construct a narrow spool, the projections l6 of one disk I5 88 extend across to the other of the disks I5 and side and front views, respece -tively, of a reel or spool constructed in accordof the two. parts which and II Any number oijstruts may be employed in any of themodifications, depending on the size of the a vice versa. If a wide spool is desired, the projections I6 are overlapped to an extent onlysufiidisposition results in a box-like structure which possesses ample strength and rigidity for all 'purposes to which the spool or reel is normally put. To provide means to secure and retain an end or the wire, line or other material to be coiled on the spool or'reel, one of the lines of cut II on each of the disks I6 is provided with a saw tooth or other irregular outline, as indicated at 2I in Figure 1, so that when the adjacent projection I6 is bent out of the plane of the disk, the same will be provided with a laterally extending pro-' jection 22 in which is incorporated a laterally directed slot 23. vThe metal or projection 22 on either side of the slot 23 constitutes projections (24) over which a looped end 01' the wire, cord:

A knotted end of the material may be positioned inwardly of the slot 23 to hold the material at the beginning of the'coiling thereof. It is also therein and so held without requiring a loop or a knot-at-its end. It should be noted that the whole of the projection 22 extends laterally outward of the general side edge or the projection I6 on which it.is positioned so'that when this par- I6 is a handle 32 rotatably mounted on the axle. Eccentrically mounted. on the other of the disks I6 is a handle 33 which in cooperation with the handle 32 may be employed to coil clothes line 34 onto the drum of the reel. It should be understood that by reason of the fact that the drum of the reel or spool provided by the projections I6 is of open construction and of the fact that the disks I6 are provided with ventilating apertures both inwardly and outwardly oi the hollow drum, the coil of clothes line contained on the reel will be well ventilated both about its inner and outer surfaces and the ;ventilation will be facilitated by supporting the reel in a. depending position with its axis substantially vertical, as illustrated in Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8 which illustrate a modified form of the reel or spool part, it

will be observed that the projections 'I6I which contemplated that the slot 23 may be wedgshaped so that the material may be wedged which extends a wedge-shaped recess I64.

ticular projection" I6 is mated with a straight-j projection I6. of the other reel part in. assembling the reel, the'slot'23 and projections 24 will remain operative in the manner indicated above.

The material or the projection 22 lies in the cylindrical plane, of the projections I6. Since both or the parts I6 and II of the reelor spool are identical, each-will be, provided with one of the 'cord retaining projections 22' which projections will extend in opposite circumferential direction so that regardless of how the reel or spool is manually or machine held, the linear material secured to the drum of the reel or spool.

produced by a stamping. press, the dies of which moving the end of the line laterally into the 'r'ecess I64, the same may be securely anchored to the side of the reel.

Figure 9 illustrates a modified form of aperture being designatedby reference numeral I66, which aperture consists of an enlarged portion I66, a radiallyinwardly extending wedge-shaped recess I61 and circumterentially extending wedge-shaped recesses I63. While certain advantages accrue from the use of two identical parts in fabricating the reel as explained above,

it should be apparent thatthe invention may be practiced by'employing the notched-out feature 3 in either modification'in' but one of the two parts making up the reel. 1

Figure 10 illustrates a modified reel and shows a knotted end I34 of The part III (or II) of the article is preferably 1 side lace of the disk l2 at the aperture I62 may be either separated into blanking and ,benda ing stages or compounded for single cycleoperation. In either case, the part'may be madeat 3 is provided with inwardly and upwardly directed low cost and at a high rate or production. To assemble the two parts of the reel or spool, it is contemplated that a specially designed welding jig will'be employed to facilitate the welding together of the projections I4 and to enable this s operation to be accomplished at high production speeds. Simultaneously with the blanking out 01.

disks I6, a center aperture 26 is provided in the disk,which apertures may'subsequently be employed to receive a supporting axle for the reel or spool. -Als0 simultaneously, apertures "may be provided in the disk I6 within the circle of the lines 26 but outwardly of the center apertures 26. These latter apertures 26 may be employed for ventilating purposes in a manner more'tully explained in my oo-pending application Serial No. 300,569 filed October 21, 1939,'now U. 8. Patout No. 2,268,996, for clothes line reel.

Referring now to Figure 8 which illustrates a representative use to which the reel or spool oi the clothes line 34 as being positioned on the outor I65. A modified form of supporting handle I I32 is shown, a side view ot which appears in larger scale in Figure 11. As shown, handle I32 3: the projecting end of a rod I35 whichiorms w an axleabout which the the handleI3I.

reel may be rotated by The above specifically illustrated and described embodiments and use of the invention should be considered as'illustrative only as obviously'many changes-may be made therein without depart- 3 ing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

- It is. for example, contemplated that the reel or spool of the invention may be fabricated from non-metallic sheet material as well as from metallic sheet materi'al'in which case, the projections I6 may be riveted or stapled or other-' the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 through representative use of a 6, the end of the line or wire may obviously be drum strut formed in part by the said tongue,.

as readily attached to one or the other of the disks l2 at 2| as to the struts H at 23. Various other advantages and uses of the article of the invention are readily apparent. Reference should therefore be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A reel or spool comprising in combination a pair of side members adapted toconflne the side edges of a coil of wire and the like, said side members being formed of sheet-like material, a

drum spanning said side members, said drum being constructed of overlapped and axially aligned tongues or projections pressed out of the material of said side members and bent inwardly toward each other, said overlapped projections or tongues being rigidly secured together, said projections or tongues being formed of the material of said side members radially outward of said drum, and axially aligned apertures in said side members adapted to receive an axle or rod to rotatably support said reel or spool.

2. An article according to claim 1 further including ventilating apertures in said side members radially intermediate said apertures and said drum.

3. An article according to claim 1 further characterized in that one of the side edges of one of said tongues or projections is contoured to provide as an integral part of said drum a circumferentially extending means to engage and retainan end of the wire and the like of the coil, said contoured side edge being cut out of the sheetlike material of one of said side members.

4. A reel or spool constructed of two identical stamped metal parts comprising in combination two identical sheet metal disks each having a plurality of drum forming tongues cut out from the material of the same and being bent at lines concentric about and equidistant from the geometric center of the same to extend laterally or the plane of the disk, the drum forming tongues of the two disks being aligned and overlapped a desired extent to form the drum, said overlapped tongues being welded or otherwise rigidly secured together, said projections or tongues being formed of the material of 'said side members radially outward of said drum, and axially aligned apertures in said side members adapted to receive an axle or rod to rotatably support said reel or spool.

5. An article according to claim 4 further including a laterallygextending projection on one.

of the tongues of each of said disks, said laterally extending projections adapted to engage and retain an end of a wire and the like to be coiled on said article.

6. An article according to claim 4 further characterized in that one of the side edges of one of the tongues of each of said identical parts is provided with a projection which, when the parts are assembled, extends clrcumferentially of the the arrangement being such that the two projections provided by the two identical parts form two oppositely directed circumferentially extend- 5 ing wire or cord retaining means whereby an end of a wire and the like may be readily fastened to the reel regardless of the direction of rotation of the same.

7. A reel or spool comprising in combination a pair of side members adapted to confine the side edges of a coil of wire and the like, a drum spanning said side members and formed of circumferentially spaced struts formed of interconnected tongues pressed out of the material of the side members radially outward oi. said drum, one of the side edges of one of the tongues being contoured to provide a portion extending circumferentially of one of said struts thus providing means to engage and retain an end of the wire and the like of the coil said contoured edge being cut out of the material of one of said side members whereby the slot remaining in said member is complementarily contoured along one of its side edges.

8. A reel for a clothes-line and the like comprising incombination a pair of side members adapted to confine the side edges of a coil of said line and the like, said side members being formed of sheet-like material and having integral inwardly extending and axially aligned projections or tongues pressed out of the material of the side I members and connected together to form a drum,

said projections or tongues being formed oi the material of said side members radially outward of said drum, axially aligned apertures in said side members centrally of said tongues or projections, a rod rotatably supporting the reel reee'ived in said apertures, a handle secured to said rod comprising a member having ,-a hand grip portion, and an L-shaped slot in said portion pro-- 40 viding a hook whereby said reel may be readily suspended from a strung line.

9. A reel or $9001 for a clothes line and the like comprising in combination a pair of side members formed of sheet-,like,materia1 adapted to confine the side edges of a coil of clothes line and the like, a drum spanning said side members on which the coil may be wound, an aperture in one of said side members radially outward or said drum; said aperture being provided with an enlarged portion, a wedge-shaped portion extending radially inward from said enlarged portion, and a wedge-shaped portion extending circumferentially from said enlarged portion, the arrangement being such that the forward end of a clothes line and the like may be wedged in the first mentioned wedge-shaped portion at the start of a coiling operation and the outer end 01' the line and the like may be wedged in said second mentioned wedge-shaped portion at the end or the coiling operation.

' MAPHE'I' J. YOUNG. 

